This invention relates to verifying the operability of one or more heating, ventilating, and air conditioning devices (HVAC devices) within a communication network. In particular, this invention relates to verifying that such HVAC devices have been properly installed or repaired in such a network.
The installation or repair of one or more HVAC devices within a communication network usually includes conducting one or more tests of the installed or repaired devices to ascertain whether the devices are capable of receiving and responding to network communications. This testing procedure can be time consuming when a number of devices are to be individually tested. The testing procedure can be furthermore complicated when each device has its own unique test. Testing procedures following installation or repair of HVAC devices in a communications network may also often require individually addressing the devices that are to be checked for proper communication operation. It is possible under such a testing procedure to successfully communicate with a particularly addressed device that is in fact not one of the devices that was either installed or repaired. This can occur when the address used in the test procedure is not in fact the network address of the installed or repaired device.
It is an object of the invention to provide a network communication system, which allows for an efficient and expeditious verification of the communications capability of one or more HVAC devices connected to the network.
It is another object of the invention to verify the communication capability of a number of HVAC devices in a communication network without individually addressing each device.
The above and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing an HVAC communication network with the ability to identify all HVAC devices that are to operate in a particular zone of a building or a series of buildings. The locations of all such HVAC devices are known to the person or persons wishing to verify the operability of these HVAC devices. In accordance with the invention, a message is sent to all such devices requiring each device to begin displaying a visible signal. The signal is preferably the flashing of a series of light emitting diodes on a panel of each such HVAC device. The flashing LEDs are easily visible to a person wishing to check such a visible display in the location where the HVAC device has been installed. In accordance with the invention, the person performing the visual check may terminate the message being sent to all such devices after performing the visual check. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the message is automatically terminated after a predetermined period of time in the event that it is not terminated by the person or person performing the visual check. In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, appropriate messages may be sent to more than one zone.